206 South Avenue, Staten Island
A Project of the Department of Design and Construction and the New York Public Library 
Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani

The design concept is a cracked open shell, rough on the outside with a smooth, mother of pearl-like inside. The exterior materials include standing seam zinc cladding and fritted glazing. The overall strategy centers on maximizing daylight deep into the building, articulating the building volumes to fit in the neighborhood scale and extending visual comprehension of the inside/outside.

A larger volume contains the reading spaces with skylights that act as sundials during the day, marking the passing of the hours and of the seasons in the main reading space. A smaller volume contains the support functions. Both are organized along a circulation spine, which is glazed with integrated rooftop louvers, so that it is open to the sky as well as to the surrounding neighborhood, as it extends from the entry through the building into the rear terrace and garden with existing mature trees, providing a visual and physical continuum.

Project Team

Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani
Partner Architect Lorenzo Pagnamenta AIA
Partner Architect Anna Torriani AIA ALA
Project Coordinator Wasmiya Tan
Junior Architect Raffaele Stefani
Junior Architect Damien Romanens
Intern Nam Suk Oh

Plus Group Consulting Engineering
Principal Mechanical Engineer Imtiaz Mulla PE LEED AP
Principal Plumbing Engineer Marina Solovchuck PE
Mechanical Engineer David Goldstein PE LEED
Electrical Engineer Noel Bolos PE

Weidlinger & Associates
Principal Structural Engineer Joong Lee PE
Associate Principal Structural Engineer Hanh Gia Nguyen PE
Structural Engineer Hasan Pekoz PhD

SCAPE / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Partner and Landscape Architect Kate Orff RLA ASLA
Partner and Landscape Architect Elena Brescia RLA ASLA
Landscape Architect Lanie McKinnon
Landscape Architect Daniela F.S. Jimenez

Michael Wein
Principal Civil Engineer Michael Wein PE

Fernando Soler
Principal Lighting Designer Fernando Soler

Construction Specifications
Vice President Aaron Pine

Department of Design and Construction
Commissioner David J. Burney FAIA
Deputy Commissioner David A. Resnick AIA
Associate Commissioner Frank D'Arpino
Assistant Commissioner Sergio Silveira
Assistant Commissioner and Design Commission Liaison Margot Woolley AIA
Director of Architecture Ron Tagliagambe RA
Program Director Frank Connor
Deputy Program Director Gregory Pertsov
Senior Design Liaison Faith Rose RA
Senior Project Manager Anthony Mayer
Team Leader Lili Khansari RA

New York Public Library
President Paul LeClerc
Chief Operating Officer David G. Offensend
Vice President for Capital Planning and Construction Joanna M. Pestka FAIA
Vice President of Library Sites & Services Anne Corriston
Project Manager Anne Ascher RA